| Islamic World News | |
| 07 Apr 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com Pakistanis miss the good old 'Khuda Hafiz'  US 'approves killing' US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki Fatwa against modelling by Muslim women Ahmadinejad warns of 'tooth-breaking response' to Obama Karzai's invitation to White House may be cancelled: US Encyclopedia of Hinduism launched Kyrgyzstan in crisis as clashes escalate India not to raise hacking with China Shoaib's lie nailed, Ayesha gets divorce Hyderabad Police quiz Ayesha Siddiqui Sania, Shoaib already married? City imam's fatwa against Shoaib Nikah over the Net, phone Appeal likely tomorrow in UAE against death of 17 Indians US omits Islamic jihad from security strategy Indian Army braces for cyber attacks National Anti-Cyber Crime Centre mooted BSF Commandant charged with Zahid's murder Blind to love, panchayat orders death for couple U.P. couple on the run after 'honour killing' verdict India was aware of hacking threat US gives wireless equipment to Pak FBI working out Headley access Al Qaeda behind Peshawar blasts: Pak Psyops: America takes on Taliban with heavy metal China hacks into defence systems Obama: nuke terrorism the top threat to US PIO on trial for selling US military secrets to China Iran says oil sanctions threat a joke Glimmer of hope for death row Indians in UAE Soharabuddin case: SC dismisses review plea of Gujarat govt Court asks Geeta Johri, Jha to keep off probe Why plea to remove Jha, Johri: Jafri named him, she is accused of inaction U.N. closes Peshawar offices for 2 days Vatican blasts anti-Catholic 'hate' campaign Malaysian student identifies teen suicide bomber Palestinians see US Mideast push at dead end Compiled by Akshay Kumar Ojha Photo: A child saying 'Khuda Hafiz' |
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Pakistanis miss the good old 'Khuda Hafiz'
Apr 6, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis are signing up for an online campaign that is pleading Muslims to stick to the good old "Khuda Hafiz" of Persian origin instead of the new Arabised version "Allah Hafiz" that became popular during the regime of former military ruler Zia-ul-Haq.
"Khuda Hafiz," traditionally used by Muslims in the subcontinent to bid goodbye, is being taken over by "Allah Hafiz". Most people in Pakistan have switched to "Allah Hafiz," which they think is more religiously correct.
Britain-based Amina Gillani has launched a campaign on social networking site Facebook to bring back the use of "Khuda Hafiz" in common parlance.
"Support Pakistan's innocent, historical goodbye - khuda hafiz. Stand against the essentialist ideology working to remove it from our colloquial discourse.
"All discussions on how either new words and phrases, or (excessive) use and absences of existing words and phrases, impact social realities and experiences are welcome," Gillani posted on her page.
The going has not been easy for the group, which has managed about 1,168 members, including Indians, in the past few months.
"I have been saying Khuda Hafiz all my life and still do but when people stare at you and try to correct you, its then that I flare at them and tell them to mind their own business," wrote Nighat Navaid, a Pakistani national.
"Fi Amanillah is the best if you really want to say it in Arabic. Otherwise there is no harm in saying Khuda hafiz... Allah's name in Farsi (Persian)... is Khuda!" wrote Samiya Mohsin, who signed up for "Bring back Khuda Hafiz".
On the other hand, Abida Nudrat joined in to make a case for "Allah Hafiz".
She wrote: "Allah is the Ism-e-Azam meaning great name... The word Khuda means God which can also be used while referring to the deities".
Sajid Hussain challenged her with: "If it were like this, then why wasn't this word used from 1400 years (ago)".
"Why only in the subcontinent now?" Salman Khan, another member, went a step further and wrote, "Allah ho ya Khuda ho, Ishwar ho, ya God, if it's one God then you are a Muslim".
To counter Gillani's group, "Say only Allah Hafiz" has been floated on Facebook.
Some Pakistani columnists have been writing about the shift from Khuda Hafiz to Allah Hafiz. Khaled Ahmed wrote about "The rise of the Allah Hafizites" a few years ago.
Another leading columnist, Ejaz Haider, wrote that when he was growing up, he never heard anyone say Allah Hafiz: "But the reality is that Khuda Hafiz now has very few takers... It is amazing how we have Arabised ourselves despite our much stronger and direct Persian connection," he wrote.
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Fatwa against modelling by Muslim women
Apr 7, 2010
Muzaffarnagar: A fatwa has been issued by Darul Uloom Deoband, the leading Islamic seminary, against modelling by Muslim women. The seminary has said exhibiting bodies by Muslim women while modelling is against the sharia.
The fatwa, which describes modelling as un-Islamic, was issued by Mufti Habibur Rehman, Mufti Mehmood Hasan, Mufti Fakhrul Islam, Mufti Zanul Islam and Mufti Waqar Ali of the seminary on Monday.
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US 'approves killing' US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki
Apr 7, 2010
The US government has authorised operations to capture or kill the radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, currently based in Yemen, reports say.
The cleric, who is a US citizen, is being targeted for his involvement in planning attacks on the US, officials told journalists.
Mr Awlaki was linked to the attempted bombing of an airliner bound for the US and a shooting on a US Army base.
The US has warned Yemen is becoming a safe haven for al-Qaeda.
The order was made by the Obama administration earlier this year, but it has just been revealed after a review of national security policy, the New York Times reported.
Further approval
Unnamed officials quoted by the Reuters news agency confirmed the story, saying that Mr Awlaki had been placed on a "US target list" of people it had authorised to kill or capture.
The list, maintained by the CIA, is thought to be of people the US government believes are planning terrorist attacks against the US.
Because Mr Awlaki is an American citizen, his addition had to be approved by the US National Security Council, the paper reported.
"Awlaki knows what he's done, and he knows he won't be met with handshakes and flowers. None of this should surprise anyone," the New York Times quoted the official as saying.
Failed state
Mr Awlaki was born in New Mexico, but is currently based in Yemen.
The Yemeni government, with support from the US and Saudi Arabia, has bombed suspected al-Qaeda hideouts in the last few months.
But some analysts have warned that Yemen may become a failed state because of the fragile hold the Yemeni government has on its own country.
Mr Awlaki was linked to an attack by a US Army major on the Fort Hood base last November, in which 13 people died.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a plane on its way into Detroit airport on Christmas Day 2009, allegedly met Mr Awlaki in Yemen weeks before boarding a US-bound plane in Lagos.
The cleric became popular among Islamic radicals for his firebrand preaching in English which endorsed the use of violence as a religious duty.
He lived and studied in the US where he was an imam in San Diego, where his sermons were attended by two of the 9/11 hijackers.
He fled the US in 2007 and went to Yemen.
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Ahmadinejad warns of 'tooth-breaking response' to Obama
Apr 7, 2010
TEHRAN: Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned his US counterpart Barack Obama of a "tooth-breaking" response, as he condemned Washington's new nuclear policy.
"I hope these published comments are not true... he (Obama) has threatened with nuclear and chemical weapons those nations which do not submit to the greed of the United States," Ahmadinejad said in speech broadcast live on state television.
"Be careful. If you set step in Mr (George W.) Bush's path, the nations' response would be the same tooth-breaking one as they gave Bush," he said.
The United States unveiled new limits on the nation's nuclear arsenal yesterday, saying it would only use atomic weapons in "extreme circumstances" and would not attack non-nuclear states.
In a policy shift, the United States said for the first time that countries without atomic weapons that complied with non-proliferation treaty obligations need not fear a US nuclear attack.
But Obama warned exceptions could be made for "outliers" such as Iran and North Korea, both accused by the West of flouting UN resolutions.
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Karzai's invitation to White House may be cancelled: US
Apr 7, 2010
WASHINGTON: Signalling a strained relationship with Hamid Karzai, United States has indicated that Afghanistan President's White House invitation could be withdrawn if he continues with his anti-US rhetoric.
The US would continue to evaluate the statements coming from Karzai and if there is no sign of improvement, the evaluation could result in cancellation of the invitation, a senior Obama administration official said.
President Obama, during his meeting with the Afghan President two weeks ago in Kabul, had invited Karzai to the White House on May 12.
The May 12 meeting as of now was still on, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters.
Full report at:
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Encyclopedia of Hinduism launched
By Pramod Kumar
Apr 7, 2010
THE much awaited Encyclopedia of Hinduism is finally out. After the deep research conducted by about 2000 eminent scholars for about 20 years, it came in 6,600 multi-colour pages divided into 11 volumes. It is jointly published by India Heritage Research Foundation and Rupa & Co. and is first of its kind on Hinduism.
The first preview of this compilation was organised at the Vivekananda International Centre in New Delhi on March 25-in the presence of eminent scholars, bureaucrats, educationists and leading personalities of the country including former Deputy Prime Minister Shri LK Advani, former Union HRD Minister Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, Shri Arif Mohammad Khan, former Governor of J&K Shri Jagmohan and many others.
Three volumes of the Encyclopedia are ready and eight others will be ready within a few weeks. It is a comprehensive compilation of the vast ocean of knowledge, history and experience that constitutes Indian culture. The content has been divided into different sections like art, Hinduism in global context, history, historiography and geography, language and literature, philosophy, polity, religion and spirituality, science, special institutions and movements, spiritual disciplines, scholarship in Hindu studies and women in studies.
Full report at:
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Kyrgyzstan in crisis as clashes escalate
7 April 2010
Anti-government protests in Kyrgyzstan have escalated violently, with 17 people killed as police clashed with demonstrators in the capital, Bishkek.
Protesters attacked President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's offices and stormed the state TV and radio headquarters, taking them briefly off air.
There are reports police fired live rounds after failing to disperse people with tear gas and stun grenades.
President Bakiyev has declared a state of emergency in protest-hit areas.
Leaders arrested
Full report at:
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India not to raise hacking with China
Ananth Krishnan
Beijing strongly denies involvement in the cyber-attacks
BEIJING: Chinese hackers may have stolen highly classified information from computers at India's Ministry of Defence, a report claimed on Tuesday, even as Chinese officials strongly denied any government involvement in the cyber-attacks.
Indian officials told The Hindu the reported hacking attacks would not figure in talks with the Chinese leadership on Wednesday, when External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna meets his counterpart Yang Jiechi and Premier Wen Jiabao.
A report released by researchers at the University of Toronto on Monday said hackers traced to China's Sichuan province may have stolen highly classified information from the Defence Ministry, and had also obtained information from embassies on India's relationships with countries in Africa, West Asia and Russia.
Computers in Indian Embassies in Belgium, Serbia, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, the United States, Zimbabwe and High Commissions in Cyprus and the United Kingdom had been "thoroughly compromised."
Full report at: www.hindu.com/2010/04/07/stories/2010040758201800.htm
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Shoaib's lie nailed, Ayesha gets divorce
Zeenews Bureau
Hyderabad: Ayesha Siddqui is finally relieved and happy after her request for an unconditional divorce was complied by Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik, her mother Faria Siddiqui said while addressing a press conference.
She told reporters, "Justice has been done. We left everything to the elders of the community and are happy with their decision…..Ayesha is very relieved and happy." Ironically enough, just a few days back, Shoaib had referred to Ayesha as 'Apa' or elder sister, while speaking with the press with Sania on his side.
Talking on behalf of the elders of the community, Abid Rasool Khan, General Secretary of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, said that since the time that news about the controversy between Shoaib Malik and Ayesha Siddiqui surfaced in the media, they were trying to come to an amicable agreement and had been working silently from the past four days to come to a compromise formula.
Full report at: www.zeenews.com/news617162.html
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Hyderabad Police quiz Ayesha Siddiqui
Apr 07, 2010
Ayesha Siddiqui, who claims to be the wife of Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, was on Tuesday questioned by the city police, two days after she filed cheating and dowry harassment cases against him.
The police's Central Crime Station (CCS) unit, probing into the allegations against Shoaib, quizzed the Hyderabadi girl for one and half hours, sources said.
The police questioned her on the details of her meeting with Shoaib in Hyderabad after the 'Nikahnama'.
The officials also took details of the souvenirs purportedly given by Shoaib to Ayesha, they said.
Ayesha's family has slapped charges of cheating, harassment and criminal intimidation against Shoaib.
The Pakistani cricketer has claimed that his Nikahnama was invalid since the photographs of the girl sent to him and that of Ayesha were of two different persons.
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Sania, Shoaib already married?
Apr 7, 2010
HYDERABAD: Have Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik quietly tied the knot at a private ceremony in Dubai? Speculation has swirled about the two already being husband and wife from the time Malik landed in Hyderabad. The five-star Taj Krishna has been booked only for a reception and not the nikah. That had many wondering whether the wedding could well be over and Malik was here just for the reception.
Incidentally, Sania Mirza's wedding card has only the reception date and has no mention of the nikah. However, local community members say that the Mirzas probably want to keep the nikah a private affair and thus do not wish to invite all those they have called for the reception.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/sania-shoaib-wedding/Sania-Shoaib-already-married/articleshow/5768493.cms
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City imam's fatwa against Shoaib
Apr 7, 2010
KOLKATA: The imam of Tipu Sultan Masjid on Tuesday issued a fatwa against Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik for allegedly dumping Ayesha Siddiqui.
Addressing a press conference, Imam Nuroor Rahman Barkati called for social boycott of Malik, both in India and Pakistan. The community leaders have rallied behind Ayesha who's in the midst of a marriage controversy. The clerics have clarified that they have nothing against Sania Mirza, but were angry with Shoaib Malik.
"I will appeal to the civil society in both the countries to boycott Malik. There is no reason why he should dump Ayesha Siddiqui," Imam Barkati said.
The Imam said the nikahnama was a sufficient evidence of a marriage. "Under Islamic law, a nikahnama can be issued only after the nikah has taken place. Since Ayesha has produced the nikahnama, the nikah must have happened," the Imam said. He clarified that on her part, Sania Mirza hadn't done anything wrong. "It is her choice if she wants to marry him. Shoaib too can marry Sania, but not by mistreating Ayesha. He must accept that she is his first wife," said the imam.
When told that Ayesha Siddiqui wanted a divorce, the imam contended that she was acting under pressure. "She is the victim of a vicious propaganda. She is saying all these because of the agony and the pain that has been inflicted on her," the imam added. He said that under Islamic law, Malik could marry again without divorcing Ayesha.
"Shoaib is making strange statements. First he denied that he was married. Then he admitted it, but said he hadn't met her. He said that the marriage was held over the phone," Imam Barkati said. The imam claimed that the marriage, even if held over the phone, was valid.
The All Bengal Muslim Marriage Registrar and Quazi society has demanded an apology from Malik. "Whatever is happening on this issue is wrong. Ayesha is being victimised," said Shahabuddin Mollah, a functionary of the society.
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Nikah over the Net, phone
J.S. Ifthekhar
Only marriages with proper 'power of attorney' are valid
People unable to personally attend have chosen 'phone nikah'
HYDERABAD: Marriages are made in heaven. But in this age of information technology they are taking place over the net and telephone too. The controversy involving the marriage of Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik with Hyderabad girl Ayesha Siddiqui has many wondering whether telephonic marriage is legitimate at all.
Though it is the in thing, ulema maintain that there is no such thing as nikah on phone. Merely taking marriage vows on phone is not valid as there is no proof and ample scope for conflict later. Only such marriages are held valid where a proper 'wakalatnama' (power of attorney) duly attested by government authorities is produced.
The 'phone nikah' trend has caught on in many Islamic countries, and India is no exception.
People living in different countries and unable to personally attend the nikah ceremony for some reason have chosen this way out.
Full report at: hindu.com/2010/04/07/stories/2010040766082200.htm
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Appeal likely tomorrow in UAE against death of 17 Indians
Apr 6, 2010
NEW DELHI: An appeal is likely to be filed tomorrow in UAE on behalf of 17 Indians facing death sentence there for killing a Pakistani.
"We have engaged Mhd Salman as the lawyer for these Indians. And an appeal is likely to be filed tomorrow in the case," officials said.
Seventeen Indians were sentenced to death on March 29 by a Sharjah shariah court for allegedly killing a Pakistani and injuring three others in an attack last year.
There is a deadline of two weeks after the pronouncement of judgement within which an appeal has be filed, officials said.
Full report at:
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US omits Islamic jihad from security strategy
Apr 7, 2010
Washington: President Barack Obama's advisers will remove religious terms such as "Islamic extremism" from the central document outlining the US national security strategy and will use the rewritten document to emphasise that the United States does not view Muslim nations through the lens of terror, counterterrorism officials said.
The change is a significant shift in the National Security Strategy, a document that previously outlined the Bush Doctrine of preventative war and currently states: "The struggle against militant Islamic radicalism is the great ideological conflict of the early years of the 21st century."
The officials described the changes on condition of anonymity because the document still was being written, and the White House would not discuss it. But rewriting the strategy document will be the latest example of Obama putting his stamp on US foreign policy, like his promises to dismantle nuclear weapons and limit the situations in which they can be used.
Full report at: http://www.zeenews.com/news617201.html
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Indian Army braces for cyber attacks
Rajat Pandit
7, 2010
NEW DELHI: After the real world, the armed forces are on a red alert in the virtual world as well. Even as they tackle Chinese troop intrusions on the ground, they are grappling with a sharp increase in online espionage attacks from across the Line of Actual Control as well.
Top sources say the Army-CERT (computer emergency response team) recently issued the high alert to all military formations and installations to guard against "focussed large-scale cyber attacks'' that are being planned on "internet facing'' government organisations, prominent brands and corporate groups.
Quoting "reliable'' information, the alert ominously warns the cyber-attacks are likely to be launched from this month onwards. The date mentioned, in fact, is March 31. Effective measures must be taken to protect networks from data-thefts, "distributed denial-of-service attacks'', paralysing computer viruses and the like, it says.
Sources said several military establishments, including the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington, had even refrained from using computers directly connected to internet modems for three-four days over the last week as a precaution. Though the alert holds the cyber-attacks can originate from any country across the world, the suspicion is firmly on Chinese hackers.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5767805.cms?prtpage=1
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National Anti-Cyber Crime Centre mooted
S. Vijay Kumar
CHENNAI: The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy has sought the setting up of a National Anti-Cyber Crime Centre on its campus in Hyderabad, NPA Director K. Vijay Kumar said here on Tuesday.
"We have requested the Union Home Minister to grant us a National Anti-Cyber Crime Centre to be based at the academy, where senior judicial/police officers and others can interact and learn…we are trying to involve the Department of Information Technology in this," he told The Hindu.
Hinting at the possibility of an annual exchange programme of joint exercises, in which senior IPS officers could undergo training in France, Germany and the U.K., Mr. Vijay Kumar said the proposal was under the consideration of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/07/stories/2010040762690400.htm
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BSF Commandant charged with Zahid's murder
Apr 07, 2010
Srinagar : Two months after 16-year-old Zahid Farooq was shot dead on the outskirts of Srinagar, the Jammu and Kashmir Police charged suspended Border Security Force (BSF) Commandant Randhir Kumar Birdi and Constable Lakhwinder Kumar with murder.
A three-page chargesheet prepared by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the J-K Police was produced in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, Mohammad Ibrahim on Tuesday.
"Commandant Birdi and Lakhwinder Kumar have been charged under Sections 302 (murder), 109 (abetment to crime) and 201 (destruction of evidence)," Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, Javeed Riyaz told The Indian Express.
The chargesheet gives an account of how the schoolboy was killed on February 5, stating that Birdi had instigated Kumar to fire two rounds from his service rifle, one of which hit Zahid, after the Commandant's cavalcade was jeered at by a group of boys in the Nishat area.
Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/601192/
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Blind to love, panchayat orders death for couple
S Raju
April 07, 2010
Six days after the Supreme Court sentenced five people to death in an honour killing case, a panchayat in Khekra town in Baghpat district on Sunday allegedly pronounced a sentence of death for a couple and directed the villagers to "socially boycott" them.
Zameel, father of four children, fell in love with a girl from his neighbourhood in Nalapar colony of Khekra town, 40 km from Delhi. The two eloped 20 days ago.
Enraged at this, the girl's father lodged a kidnapping case against Zameel and three of his relatives at the Khekra police station with a request to recover his daughter and send Zameel behind bars.
While the police was looking for the couple, Zameel and the other accused got a stay order from the High Court on their arrest.
Piqued at this and upset that their daughter had run away with a man, the girl's family quit the village and went into hiding.
Full report at:
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U.P. couple on the run after 'honour killing' verdict
Apr 07, 2010
LUCKNOW: A couple are on the run after a village panchayat in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh ordered their "honour killing" following complaints from relatives that they had married against their wishes. The kangaroo court's verdict was announced last month after 30-year-old Jamil and his wife Ayesha of Kherka village were produced before the panchayat. The Baghpat Police are keeping a close watch on the developments.
Jamil, who is said to have four children from his previous marriage, reportedly eloped with the girl of the same village following stiff opposition from their relatives. The two got married on March 23. In the meantime, the girl's relatives lodged a case of kidnapping against Jamil. The "groom", however, got a stay order against his arrest on March 30.
On their return to the village, the couple were presented before the panchayat, which announced the verdict. The panchayat ordered their "honour killing" if they stayed in the village.
Emboldened by the recent verdict of a Haryana court awarding death sentence to five for the "honour killing" of a couple, the Baghpat Police are determined not to allow a similar incident. Police said strict action would be taken against the family members.
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India was aware of hacking threat
Indrani Bagchi
Apr 7, 2010
NEW DELHI: Last week, Indian cyber security officials were in Toronto to meet the researchers from Munk School of Global Affairs whose year-long project, `Shadows in the Cloud', tracked cyber espionage attempts against computers and servers in some 31 countries, but overwhelmingly in India, including the national security and defence establishments. Other "entities of interest", according to the report, included The Times of India.
Over the past few months, after the first reports of a China-based network of cyber spies emerged, Indian officials in key departments have been on a silent overdrive to stop the attacks and monitor servers.
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US gives wireless equipment to Pak
Apr 07 2010
The US has donated communications equipment worth Rs 10.9 million to police in Pakistan's troubled North West Frontier Province in the wake of a terrorist attack on the American consulate in Peshawar.
US Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs David Johnson and Deputy Chief of Mission Gerald Feierstein travelled to Peshawar on Wednesday to donate the equipment to the NWFP police, said a statement from the American embassy.
"This latest instalment of equipment underscores the US' ongoing commitment to support Pakistan's police. We are standing by Pakistan in the face of terrorist attacks," Johnson said.
The equipment will "permit law enforcement professionals to better coordinate their efforts to protect the Pakistani people," the statement said.
Full report at:
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FBI working out Headley access
Apr 7, 2010
NEW DELHI: As India expects United States to give access to Pakistani-origin American terrorist David Coleman Headley latest by next month, the FBI -- which has been probing his case in US -- on Tuesday said that the authorities were working out logistics on where and when Indian sleuths can question him in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
"In the plea agreement, Headley did agree to meet with Indian authorities. I think right now we are just trying to work out the logistics and scheduling of that," a news agency quoted an FBI spokesman as saying in Chicago.
Full report at:
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Al Qaeda behind Peshawar blasts: Pak
Apr 07 2010
The Al Qaeda was behind the attack on the US Consulate in Peshawar and was seeking to provoke a serious political crisis, a Pakistani senator has said.
"If you remember, similar attacks were carried out when president Asif Zardari delivered his first presidential speech," senator Haji Adeel, senior vice president of the Awami National Party (ANP) said Tuesday, adding that the Al Qaeda was working closely with the Pakistani Taliban.
Once again the militants did the same action. It clearly aims to create a crisis in Pakistan and aims derail the political process in the country," he said.
Militants also targeted ANP workers in Dir district Monday when they were celebrating the renaming of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) to Khyber Paktoonkhwa.
"Both moves show that they only want chaos," Adeel said.
Full report at:
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Psyops: America takes on Taliban with heavy metal
Apr 7, 2010
MARJAH (AFGHANISTAN): US special forces have a novel weapon in the fight to expel Taliban from a desolate and war-weary farming community in southern Afghanistan — heavy metal music.
When insurgents open fire in Marjah, an armoured vehicle wired up to powerful speakers blasts out country, heavy metal and rock music so loudly it can be heard up to a mile away. The playlist has been hand-selected to "piss off the Taliban", according to one US special forces officer. "Taliban hate that music," said the sergeant involved in covert psychological operations, or "psy ops", in the area in Helmand province.
"Some locals complain but it's a way to push them to choose. It's motivating marines as well," he added after one deafening round of several hours including tracks from The Offspring, Metallica and Thin Lizzy.
Full report at:
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China hacks into defence systems
Apr 07 2010
Toronto, April 6: Turning the tables on a China-based computer espionage gang, Canadian and United States computer security researchers have monitored a spying operation for eight months, observing while the intruders pilfered classified and restricted documents from the highest levels of India's defence ministry.
In a report on Monday, the researchers, based at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, provide an account of how a spy operation it called the Shadow Network hacked into computers in government offices on several continents.
The spy hunters were able to see some of the documents, including classified assessments about security in several Indian states, and confidential embassy documents about India's relationships in West Africa and Russia.
The defence ministry spokesman, Mr Sitanshu Kar, said officials were "looking into" the report.
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Obama: nuke terrorism the top threat to US
By ROBERT BURNS and ANNE FLAHERTY
Apr 7, 2010
WASHINGTON: Rewriting America's nuclear strategy, the White House on Tuesday announced a fundamental shift that calls the spread of atomic weapons to rogue states or terrorists a worse threat than the nuclear Armageddon feared during the Cold War.
The Obama administration is suddenly moving on multiple fronts with a goal of limiting the threat of a catastrophic international conflict, although it's not yet clear how far and how fast the rest of the world is ready to follow.
In releasing the results of an in-depth nuclear strategy review, President Barack Obama said his administration would narrow the circumstances in which the US might launch a nuclear strike, that it would forgo the development of new nuclear warheads and would seek even deeper reductions in American and Russian arsenals.
His defense secretary, Robert Gates, said the focus would now be on terror groups such as Al-Qaeda as well as North Korea's nuclear buildup and Iran's nuclear ambitions.
"For the first time, preventing nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism is now at the top of America's nuclear agenda," Obama said, distancing his administration from the decades-long US focus on arms competition with Russia and on the threat posed by nuclear missiles on hair-trigger alert.
Full report at:
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PIO on trial for selling US military secrets to China
Apr 7, 2010
HONOLULU: Jury selection in the trial of a former B-2 stealth bomber engineer in Hawaii who is accused of selling military secrets to China is scheduled to begin in federal court on Tuesday, with opening statements expected on Wednesday.
Noshir Gowadia, who is originally from India, has pleaded not guilty to 21 counts, including conspiracy, violating the arms export control act and money laundering. The indictment accuses Gowadia of helping China design a cruise missile with stealth capabilities.
The trial comes some 4 1/2 years after Gowadia's arrest and more than three years after his trial was originally scheduled to be held. The 66-year-old resident has been in federal detention since his October 2005 arrest because a judge ruled he was a flight risk.
Full report at:
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Iran says oil sanctions threat a joke
Apr 7, 2010
TEHRAN: The idea of international sanctions on Iranian oil exports is a joke, a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday, adding Iran would not abandon its disputed nuclear work despite mounting international pressure.
US President Barack Obama is pushing for new UN sanctions in the coming weeks to pressure Iran to stop its sensitive nuclear activities, which Washington and its European allies believe is a cover to develop bombs.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said restricting Iran's oil and gas exports — an idea not included in the latest proposals agreed by Western powers — was "illogical" and that all sanctions would fail.
"Countries need oil to guarantee their economic growth…talking about imposing sanctions on Iran's oil sector is like a joke," Ramin Mehmanparast told a weekly news conference. "Such a move would hurt other (importer) countries.
Full report at:
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Glimmer of hope for death row Indians in UAE
Apr 7, 2010
New Delhi: An appeal is likely to be filed Wednesday in UAE on behalf of 17 Indians facing death sentence there for killing a Pakistani.
The Indian government has engaged Mhd Salman as the lawyer for the death row convicts who were sentenced to death on March 29 by a Sharjah shariah court for allegedly killing a Pakistani and injuring three others in an attack last year.
There is a deadline of two weeks after the pronouncement of judgement within which an appeal has be filed, officials said.
The UAE government has already made it clear that its legal system guarantees a fair trial and the death sentence is subject to appeal and annulment by the rule of law without any interference from the parties concerned.
"We fully trust our legal system and its procedures and we are sure that it will provide and guarantee a fair trial to the convicted," the UAE embassy in New Delhi had said in a statement.
Terming as "very unfortunate" the death sentence given to 17 Indians, government has assured all possible help, including legal assistance to them.
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Soharabuddin case: SC dismisses review plea of Gujarat govt
April 07, 2010,
New Delhi: The Supreme Court today dismissed a petition filed by Gujarat government seeking a review of its judgement directing a CBI probe into the killing of gangster Soharabuddin Sheikh in a fake encounter in 2005.
The apex court also declined to expunge the remarks against senior IPS officer Geeta Johri, who had headed the team investigating the case in which Kauser Bi, wife of Sheikh was also eliminated by the Gujarat police.
A Bench comprising Justices Aftab Alam and Cyriac Joseph did not find merits in the review petition filed by the state government as also by Johri.
Gujarat government had sought a review of the January 12 verdict directing a CBI probe on the ground that the state agencies were holding proper investigation.
Johri had contended that the adverse remarks were passed against her without giving her an opportunity to be heard.
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Court asks Geeta Johri, Jha to keep off probe
J. Venkatesan
Restraint until further orders, on plea for SIT reconstitution
'SIT refused to look into especially mala fide intentions and complicity of state actors'
Plea motivated; all of a sudden, allegations are being made against SIT: Gujarat counsel
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday restrained senior IPS officers Geeta Johri and Shivanand Jha, who are members of the Special Investigation Team, from associating themselves with the probe/trial of the 2002 Gujarat riot cases until further orders.
A Bench of Justices D.K. Jain, P. Sathasivam and Aftab Alam passed this order following allegations by Devendra Bhai Pathak and other petitioners of lapses in the probe and their plea for reconstitution of the SIT, formed by the court and headed by the former CBI Director R.K. Raghavan. The Bench asked amicus curiae Harish Salve to furnish to Gujarat copies of the comments received from the SIT and its members on certain allegations to enable the State to respond, and posted the matter to April 19, when it would consider the plea for reconstitution of the SIT and stay of the trial.
Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/07/stories/2010040764931300.htm
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Why plea to remove Jha, Johri: Jafri named him, she is accused of inaction
Apr 07, 2010
Ahmedabad : Praying for reconstitution of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which is probing the 2002 Gujarat riots, the petitioner, Citizens for Justice and Peace, has spelled out reasons why they are demanding removal of Shivanand Jha, now the Surat Police Commissioner, and Geetha Johri, now the Rajkot Police Commissioner, from the team.
Shivanand Jha: The petitioner has stated that a senior police officer of Jha's rank should have recused himself from the SIT since his name has been mentioned as one of the accused. Jha figures among the 63 persons named as accused by Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed during the Gulberg Society massacre, in her petition before the Supreme Court.
Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/601224/
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U.N. closes Peshawar offices for 2 days
Anita Joshua
Militants very often identify the U.N. in the province with U.S.
Humanitarian work undertaken by various U.N. agencies across the province will not be affected
Only offices in Peshawar closed as a temporary security measure: U.N. spokesperson
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations has decided to close its offices in Peshawar for two days in view of the suicide bomb attack on the U.S. Consulate General in the capital of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) on Monday.
However, country spokesperson for the U. N., Ishrat Rizvi, maintained that this would in no way affect ongoing humanitarian work undertaken by various U. N. agencies across the province.
"Only offices in Peshawar have been closed as a temporary security measure,'' she said; adding that staffers have been asked to function out of their homes. As of now, these offices are set to open on Thursday but only after a security review.
Last year also, the U. N. had temporarily shut down its offices in Peshawar after the suicide bomb attack on the Pearl Intercontinental Hotel. A U. N. staffer had also been killed in that attack.
Full report at:
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Vatican blasts anti-Catholic 'hate' campaign
Apr 07 2010
The Vatican heatedly defended Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday, claiming accusations that he helped cover up the actions of pedophile priests are part of an anti-Catholic "hate" campaign targeting the pope for his opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.
Vatican Radio broadcast comments by two senior cardinals explaining "the motive for these attacks" on the pope and the Vatican newspaper chipped in with spirited comments from another top cardinal.
"The pope defends life and the family, based on marriage between a man and a woman, in a world in which powerful lobbies would like to impose a completely different" agenda, Spanish Cardinal Julian Herranz, head of the disciplinary commission for Holy See officials, said on the radio.
Herranz didn't identify the lobbies but "defense of life" is Vatican shorthand for anti-abortion efforts.
Full report at:
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Malaysian student identifies teen suicide bomber
Vinay Shukla | Moscow
A Malaysian medical student on Tuesday claimed to have travelled in the metro coach along with the 'black widow' female suicide attacker, saying on that fateful Monday, the bomber looked drugged with glass-like eyes.
Sim Eih Xing, a 23-year-old Malaysian student of local Sechenev Medical Academy who had a miraculous escape having stepped on to the platform before the bomber detonated her lethal explosives, said he came across the female bomber on his usual journey to his surgery class.
"She wasn't wearing a scarf. Her eyes were very open, like on drugs, and she barely blinked," Sim was quoted as narrating by The Moscow Times.
"And it was scary," the Malaysian student said after he found out that the glassy-eyed Full report at:
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Palestinians see US Mideast push at dead end
By ALI SAWAFTA|REUTERS
Apr 6, 2010
RAMALLAH, West Bank: The United States has reached a dead end in its attempts to revive Middle East peace talks, a senior Palestinian official said on Tuesday, citing Israeli building on occupied land.
The West Bank-based Palestinian Authority has demanded a full halt to Israeli settlement building in East Jerusalem and the West Bank before any resumption of negotiations suspended since December 2008.
Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said the Palestinians wanted US guarantees that Israel would not issue more tenders to build on land where the Palestinians aim to establish a state, including East Jerusalem.
Israel must also cancel plans announced last month for more building in parts of Jerusalem it captured, along with the West Bank in a 1967 war, Erekat added.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article39796.ece
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Asadullah Syed
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